


Up Where the Mountains Meet the Heavens Above

by Juan_Pujol_Garcia, octovoid128, Sinna



Series: The Inherent Romanticism of Dragons [14]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Found Family, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Other, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24762352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juan_Pujol_Garcia/pseuds/Juan_Pujol_Garcia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/octovoid128/pseuds/octovoid128, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinna/pseuds/Sinna
Summary: A knight is sent to slay a dragon and rescue a princess. Things don't exactly go to plan. For anyone involved.
Relationships: Ashes O'Reilly/Marius von Raum, Ivy Alexandria/Ashes O'Reilly, Ivy Alexandria/Ashes O'Reilly/Marius von Raum, Ivy Alexandria/Marius von Raum
Series: The Inherent Romanticism of Dragons [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1832185
Comments: 41
Kudos: 168





	1. Chapter 1

Ivy is working in the garden when she hears the sound of hooves. She glances further up the mountain at Ashes, clearly sound asleep. She briefly curses the fact that the garden is so far from the lair proper. The sacrifices one must make for good soil, honestly. But perhaps that means she had the chance to derail this approaching conflict before things can escalate…

“Who goes there?” Cliche, perhaps, but serviceable. She’s just a bit out of line of sight from the path, so the intruder will have to move off of it to respond to her greeting.

The hoofbeats stop. A very confused voice calls out, "Uh. Hello. I am Sir Marius. Of Yggdrasil. I'm... there's a dragon nearby?"

Oh, joy. A knight. At least this one doesn’t  _ sound _ full of bravado. “Off the path to the left a bit. It’s polite to introduce yourself face-to-face.” Hopefully he’ll dismount to do so.

There is a brief pause, highlighted by the rattle of armor. “Hello?” The voice is closer.

Ivy is. Not armed. She really feels like she should be armed. But it is not exactly a habit she’s cultivated, in her years under Ashes’s protective gaze. What she has is a trowel. Not exactly a weapon capable of taking down an armored knight competent enough to be sent after a dragon. Unfortunate. “Over here.”

A knight in full armor emerges from the trees and halts at the edge of the garden plot. He looks down at her in surprise. "Hello. Um. You don’t happen to be the dragon?"

Hopefully that question is due to his general aura of confusion and not actual knowledge of Ashes’s shapeshifting powers. “Not the last time I checked, no. Your name and reason for being here?”

"Sir Marius. Here to...try to slay a dragon?” Ivy keeps her face carefully blank. “Save a princess?"

She blinks in surprise. Well. That’s new. “Save a what now?”

"A princess? I was told there was a princess who was recently kidnapped by the dragon? Is there even a dragon here or am I in the wrong place?"

Ivy takes a moment to consider that. “Well, I haven’t noticed any princesses around here. And my understanding is that they tend to be rather...distinctive? Is that correct?”

"I mean, sort of. Might look like a bit of a wreck if she got carried off by a dragon but, otherwise, yes. I'm sorry, who are you?"

Ivy stares at him for a full five seconds in silence. Just long enough to unsettle, without losing plausible deniability. "Oh! Where are my manners. I am Ivy. I live nearby." She curtseys without setting down the trowel, smearing even more dirt onto her skirt.

"You living nearby is making me think...perhaps a dragon. Does not live here.” That is her goal, yes. “Given your confusion about the concept of princesses in general I am going to assume you are...not one?"

Ivy pouts at him. "I am not confused at the concept of princesses. I do know what they are, I simply lack personal experience with them." She falls silent for a moment, calculating. She can’t say for sure that she’s  _ not _ a princess, and lying to an armed man with almost half a foot on her seems...unwise. "Statistically speaking, no, I am highly unlikely to be a princess."

"I mean I also don't have much personal experience with princesses. I wish." He jokes weakly. Good. Jokes indicate bonding, which increases her odds of getting him to leave before Ashes wakes up. "What do you mean you're unlikely to be a princess? Don't you know?"

Ivy shrugs. "Whom among us can truly know the circumstances of our birth?"

He seems taken aback by that response. "I mean. I...guess that's true. I'm pretty sure I literally popped out in a pig pen but like. I guess I don't know that for  _ sure _ since I was...a baby when I was born." Ivy makes a gesture with the trowel that clearly conveys 'see what I mean', raising an eyebrow at him. He smiles slightly. " _ Touché. _ This. Wasn't the conversation I was expecting to be happening."

Banter. Another good sign. "What sort of conversation were you expecting?"

"Something about a dragon?"

"If you didn't know I lived here, who were you expecting to have this dragon conversation with?"

As Sir Marius opens his mouth to respond, Ivy feels a spike of fury and protectiveness through her connection to Ashes. Mere seconds later, there is the familiar rush of wind and heavy thud of them landing behind her. An angry hiss fills the air. The knight pales, immediately staggering back in fear.

Ivy groans. And it had been going so well. "Ashes, please tell me you didn't just crush my tomatoes."

“I know better than to land on your plants.” At least they’re still calm enough to be offended at the suggestion, rather than overwhelmed with rage at this knight for daring to approach their Hoard.

"Oh, you're friends with that dragon, cool that explains so much!" His voice has gone up. Quite a few octaves.

Ivy hums, seesawing her hand a bit. “That’s not quite the right term.” ‘Friends’ is insufficient on so many levels.

"She's mine and you can't have her," Ashes insists. "So back off,  _ thief. _ " Ivy suppresses a smile at her thrum of satisfaction. Ashes doesn’t often articulate their relationship in such blatant terms.

Sir Marius holds up his hands and backs up another step. "Okay, let's just calm down, I'm not here for her."   


“Oh? Then what  _ are _ you here for?”

"It seems someone's going around accusing you of kidnapping princesses," Ivy says dryly.

The knight glances between Ashes and his comparatively tiny, fragile sword, clearly regretting his life choices. "Ah...Hahahaha, yeah, seems I was mistaken!"

"Why would I want princesses?"

Ivy looks to Marius. "Good question. Why would - actually.” Ivy suspects political shenanigans are afoot. Fortunately, there are only so many princesses. “Which princess was supposedly kidnapped?"

"Um. Sir Benjamin Starkey's daughter? I... think her name was... Gina?"

Ashes huffs. "Never even heard of her. He's the asshole who keeps trying to steal my neighbors' land though."

"Oh. Sounds like a dick?" Marius offers weakly.

Ivy hums, mentally running through her memories of marketplace gossip. "From all I've heard, she's a decent sort. May or may not be sneaking around with the carpenter's daughter...can't imagine her dear old dad approves, true or not."

"Huh. Carpenter's daughter is a nice girl. Starkey's a fool not to see that. Not sure how that connects with me stealing her though."

Marius shrugs. "Well, if you don't have her, no reason to be upset then! The girl is presumably fine! Everything is fine!"

Ivy tilts her head to the side slightly. "Fine except for the part where you've been sent to die for some asshole's land grab." She reluctantly admits it’s a half-decent plan. Disapprove of a daughter falling in love with some commoner? Claim the daughter was kidnapped by a dragon. Send a wandering knight who doesn’t know any better to get killed by the dragon. Starkey clearly assumes that Ashes will kill or drive off the locals in a rage over the insult, which would conveniently free his daughter up for a nice profitable dynastic marriage. And there’s the added bonus of all that suddenly available (if lightly seared) land. Ivy sighs. Clearly he doesn’t know Ashes at all.

"Haha, yeah, but people try to kill me all the time, it's fine!"

"Is there a reason people are trying to kill you?" Ashes asks, suspicious.

He laughs in a poor attempt at genuine levity. "Getting killed for other people's petty shit is basically a knight's job description. I. Would appreciate not actually dying though!"

"Job description or not, I don't like Starkey thinking he can use Ashes like that..." Ivy frowns, pondering.

Ashes laughs. "It's hardly the first time someone's tried that. It never works."

Ivy softens at the fondness radiating from them. "Fair enough." She leans back against their front leg slightly.

"Right. Not going to work. Um. So. I'll. Just. Go! Nice meeting you, bye!" He does not turn his back on Ashes, instead walking backwards towards where he left his horse.

“Don’t come back,” Ashes warns.

Marius bites his lip. His eyes flit once over to Ivy but he doesn’t stop or respond to their command.

Ivy waves at him. “Nice meeting you, Marius.” She resumes her gardening. As the sound of his horse fades into the distance, Ashes settles on the grass nearby to watch over her. Ivy gives them a soft smile and puts the incident from her mind.

-

Marius is an idiot. But at least he's a kind idiot. He will die being a kind idiot. He is sneaking back to the dragon's lair on foot, having left his horse in a stable in town. He is not going to let his horse die because of his shit decisions. He slips into the cave, holding his breath like that will help at all.

Marius has no idea what he's doing here. He just keeps walking past piles of gold and jewels, further into the depths of the dragon’s den. Eventually he comes across what seems to be a  _ library _ , of all things. The shelves form a maze, but this seems like his best bet. At least he’s unlikely to accidentally knock over anything loud.

To Marius’s relief, he finds the strange woman he'd met earlier slumped unmoving over a desk. He puts a hand on her shoulder and gently shakes her, whispering her name. “Ivy?”

After a bit of shaking, Ivy blearily glances up. Marius is concerned by her vacant gaze, exhaling in relief when her eyes eventually focus on his face. Probably just asleep, not concussed, then - oh dear, that’s not the expression he’d hoped to see. Ivy’s chair scrapes loudly on the floor as she jerks away from him in surprise.

Marius shushes her frantically. "Sorry, I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you, I just wanted to make sure you were okay...!" He stage-whispers. He glances around nervously. Was that a faint, echoey growl? Probably not. Hopefully not.

Ivy rubs the sleep from her eyes. "You - what?" Her eyes dart around for a bit, then she visibly relaxes. 

"I don't know, the big scary dragon told me you were their property, I wanted to help you!" He is still whispering.

She blinks at him, visibly confused. “...explain?”

That’s not a good sign. That’s a very bad sign. "People...aren't...property?"

“Obviously. I know that.” Well, that’s something. Ivy stares at him blankly. "...you are a knight, right? Don't you have a liege lord?"

Marius opens his mouth. And then closes it. "Well. Technically she's a queen."

Ivy rolls her eyes. "Specifics of rank aside. You have a liege to whom you are sworn, yes?"

Where is she trying to go with this? "Sure, but she doesn't  _ own _ me."

Ivy sighs. "They didn't say I'm  _ property _ , they said I'm  _ Theirs _ . It's rather more comparable than you think, Sir Marius. The biggest difference I see is that Ashes would actually give a fuck if I died."

"I protect my Hoard," A voice proclaims from the darkness, the words echoing ominously around the room. "Unlike your queen, Sir Marius."

Marius freezes as he realizes that ah. The dragon is behind him. He's definitely going to die.

"Why are you here, thief? Did you come to steal my gold? Or are you after my archivist? I'll have you know I treat her very well."

Ivy nods. "They really do."

Marius's eyes are darting between the two. "I-I just... I wanted to make sure she was alright."

The dragon - Ashes? - drops down from its perch and lands behind Marius with a thud. He can’t keep from flinching. It places itself to the side but clearly between him and Ivy. It frowns at Marius. "You snuck in here, after I threatened you, just to check on her?"

Ivy studies him, confused. "Really?"

“Yes?”

“Why?” asks Ashes, focusing on Marius with intimidating intensity.

Ivy blinks, head tilting as she tries to process that. "...huh. That's sweet of you. Idiotic, to be sure, but kind."

"I. Don't know. I just. Wanted to?" While Marius is grateful he hasn’t been eaten on the spot, he really doesn’t know if there’s anything he can say to get out of this conversation alive.

“You thought I wasn’t taking care of her?” The dragon sounds insulted now. Great job, Marius, you’ve pissed them off even more.

"I don't know! I don't know the general level of care dragons put into the people they keep in their caves!" Yes, that phrasing definitely won’t just make them angrier. Why is he like this.

"She applied for the position. I wouldn't take anyone unwilling. And I make sure she eats at least once a day and carry her to bed when she falls asleep."

Wow. That is the precise opposite of reassuring! "You. She eats. Once a day?????" Marius fixes his gaze on a guilty-looking Ivy. 

“Is that too much for humans?” The dragon turns to eye Ivy with concern. Marius hadn’t known that a giant lizard could emote so clearly, but their expression is very obviously worried. 

"Too much? No, it's not  _ enough _ . We normally try for 3 meals a day." Marius watches Ivy fidget, exasperated. Unbelievable.

Ashes whips around to properly glare at Ivy. "You told me once a day was plenty!"

“No, I told you humans eat daily! Three meals a day is arbitrary! I get sufficient nutrition, which is more important than meeting a random number of instances!” Ivy is visibly flustered.

Oh my god she’s really going to try to talk her way out of this. "Sufficient nutrition my ass, one a day is not sufficient nutrition, no matter how arbitrary three may be!"

“I eat snacks,” Ivy protests. “And I’m clearly fine.”

"Ivy, this is unacceptable. You're here to care for my hoard. That means all of it."

“And I do! Do I look unhealthy?”

"You were passed out on your desk,” Marius reminds her.

“I was  _ napping _ .”

Marius’s retort that one does not “nap” in the middle of the night dies in his throat as Ashes turns back to him. That sure is a predatory gaze.

"Sir Marius, what is an acceptable human sleep schedule?"

He blinks. Oh. That’s far less concerning than he had feared. Ivy’s wince at the question is visible even with Ashes blocking most of his field of vision.

"Ideally, eight hours per night."

Ashes growls. "Archivist!” It’s a fucking terrifying sound, even if Marius knows it’s not directed at him.

“I get sufficient sleep.” Debatable. “Does it matter when it happens?”

"Yes. Because the longer you go without it, the harder it is to catch up."

“But the important part is catching up. Which I do.”

Marius becomes aware that Ashes is giving him a rather confusing look. It feels Significant, even if he has no idea what they’re trying to communicate. "It seems I am in need of someone who understands humans to care for my archivist."

“I understand humans,” Ivy mutters. She is ignored.

Marius blinks at them vacantly for a moment. He then realizes what they mean. What they cannot actually mean. "Me??"

“Why not?”

Ivy gives Ashes an alarmed look. “You can’t be serious.”

"It's only proper to bring in an expert to care for my hoard,” Ashes explains calmly. “You were quite right about that. However, it seems your expertise is lacking in one significant area. It's only proper to bring in outside help until I've learned enough to care for you properly on my own."

Marius is. Confused. "What..." He takes a deep breath and hopes he doesn't get killed just for asking this. "What if I turn down this... generous... job offer?"

"Then you're trespassing and potentially plotting to kill me and steal my hoard." Ashes says bluntly. "But if you stay and teach me how to care for my archivist for one year, I will trust that you had good intentions coming here, and you will be free to leave."

“Ashes. I don’t need a babysitter.”

Marius takes a deep breath. "Deal." He'd rather not die so if he can get out of this…

"You very clearly do." Ashes grins at Marius. They have so many teeth and they are all so very large. "I knew you'd see sense."

"What... well. Am I allowed to go get my horse and stuff? I don't want to lose her..."

"Of course you are. You're welcome to go out. I just have to come with you."

"O...kay. Fair enough."

“Let’s go.” Ashes suddenly shrinks down into a human. They’re still taller than Marius and quite a bit more intimidating, but. Human-shaped. Can all dragons do that?? Hopefully he’ll never be in a position to find out. Ivy moves next to Ashes and they take her hand with the ease of habit. Ashes motions for Marius to lead the way back into town, and he nervously obliges.


	2. Chapter 2

Marius’s horse and belongings are retrieved without incident. Ashes watches for him to give into the temptation to run, but he doesn’t. Pleased, they lead the way back to their lair. They have a stable, however dusty and neglected, so they direct Marius there. He gets his horse situated and pets her nose gently to reassure her. Ashes studies this interaction closely. Horses don’t like them. They don’t care, of course - what does it matter to them how one anxious prey animal reacts to their presence? But it’s a good sign that Marius is able to calm his mount so effectively, even with Ashes looming behind him. Their archivist deserves only the most skilled of caretakers.

As the trio head out of the stable, Marius cracks his knuckles dramatically. "Alright. Well since I've been hired, let's start now!" He points at Ivy. "Bedtime."

Ivy just blinks at him. "When do humans normally go to bed?" Ashes asks. Ivy doesn’t seem especially tired, but evidently either their ability to judge or her own self awareness is severely flawed. 

"Few hours after the sun goes down? It varies because the sun goes down earlier in the winter, et cetera, but generally a bit after sundown, yeah." Sundown was approximately 7 hours ago. Ashes gives Ivy a Look. She avoids their gaze, apparently intent on the ceiling. 

Marius tsks and makes a shooing motion with his hands. "Bedtime, come on. Don't make me carry you."

Ivy slowly begins making her way back to her bedroom. Once she’s settled, Ashes curls up in front of the door. They watch Marius fidget for a moment, glancing at them anxiously.

"Is there...a place I should sleep or...?" Ashes points him to another room. With a final, nervous glance at them, he enters it. They listen to the muted sounds of him shaking dust off the bedcovers, then close their eyes to sleep.

Ashes is drowsing lightly when Marius emerges from his room. It’s earlier than Ivy would normally wake up. They stifle a snort of amusement when his footsteps falter upon noticing them guarding Ivy’s door. "Um. Hi?" He whispers, clearly trying to not startle them awake.

Ashes opens one eye. They are aware of exactly how ominous this looks.

Marius appears very aware they can kill him with a single claw. It’s so nice to have their art appreciated. "Um... do you. Have a kitchen?"

"We do," Ashes confirms.

"Could you, or like, Ivy, lead me there? I mean, she could probably do with a bit more sleep if you don't want me to wake her..."

Ashes shifts to human form. "This way."

Marius nods, visibly relaxing once they are no longer a massive dragon. Ashes shows him the kitchen, curious to see his reaction. It is a fairly nice kitchen, but Ivy's standards may be an unreliable foundation.

"Hm." He starts making room on the counters and sees what they have for food. Ashes watches closely, making him explain what he's doing. Marius explains both the tidying and breakfast-making processes. As he works, Marius’s demeanor grows more confident. Ashes cannot tell whether this is getting used to their presence, relaxing into a familiar routine, or some combination of the two.

They take careful mental notes on his explanations. "Ivy does not usually eat breakfast. She has dried fruit and nuts sometimes."

"Breakfast is important. Gives energy to start the day.” 

"Hmmmm," Ivy had not said that. But Ashes has long been suspicious of Ivy's self care abilities.

"I can't believe she told you she only needs food once a day! I love eating."

Ashes smirks. They like him. He is not here for them, but they like him nonetheless. "Ivy would prefer to spend all day archiving the hoard."

"She should spend more time tidying up around here. This much dust isn't good for humans." 

Is dust a health hazard? Unacceptable. "I see. How does one remove the dust? It's a bit difficult to burn it without burning the rest of the place, given that most things in here aren't actually part of my hoard."

"Cloth can trap it and then those can be washed out. Have any cleaning supplies here? Soap?"

"Soap, yes, Ivy uses that for baths."

"Oh good that she takes baths, that's important. Soap for cleaning places tends to be a little stronger but we can find some of that in town."

"Make me a list of everything we need. I'll have it delivered." They deliberately ignore the similarities to Ivy's earliest days.

"Will do." Marius gives a little salute and starts compiling a list of cleaning supplies, foodstuffs, and cooking utensils. He hands off the list to them and continues making breakfast for Ivy. Ashes tucks it in their pocket for later.

Marius sets all the food up on a tray. "I'm going to go wake up Ivy."

"It's earlier than she usually wakes up,” Ashes warns him.

"Gotta get her on a regular sleep schedule."

"Huh..." Humans are much more complicated than expected.

"Yeah. That way it'll be easier to get her to go to bed at a normal time."

"So humans can't just...sleep whenever they feel like it?"

"I mean we _can_ but it's not like. _Great_. It's better for us to have some sort of schedule.” He laughs faintly at whatever doubtful expression their face is currently twisted into. "I promise. I'm the human expert here, aren't I?"

"That seems... annoying." Naps being insufficient rest would be...troublesome for them. No wonder Ivy appears to disregard it.

"Yeah, having a body is inconvenient to be honest."

Ashes shrugs. "More proof that dragons are superior."

"Fair enough. I wish I could turn into a cool dragon. No one would dare attempt to perceive me as a woman again."

Ashes groans. "You'd think, and yet..."

Marius raises his eyebrows. "Really? No fucking fair!" He seems righteously angry on behalf of a dragon he just met who could tear him apart easily. Ashes is endeared despite themself.

"On the plus side, I can eat them if they do that. But the amount who try anyway..."

"Fuckers. Wish I could eat the ones who did that to me though." He raps on Ivy's door. "Rise and shine, Princess!" he says cheerily. Marius opens the door and sweeps in, setting the food down on the table. 

When Ivy sleeps she sleeps quite deeply. Ashes is completely unsurprised that she does not awaken. Marius shakes her shoulder. Ashes watches carefully to make sure he doesn't hurt her. Ivy rolls over.

"Ivyyyyyyyyy! Wakey wakey."

Ivy makes a sleepy noise of protest and weakly tries to shove Marius's hand away, burrowing deeper into the blankets.

"It's time for breakfast!"

"'s too early..."

"It's like 9 am, it's _not_ that early."

Ivy attempts to shoo him away like a particularly loud fly, pulling the blankets over her head. Marius yanks her blankets off. Ashes watches, very entertained.

Ivy curls up, covering her eyes with her arm. "Go 'way."

"Nope! Time to face the day! Food time!" Ivy refuses to get up. Marius scoops her into his arms. Ivy yelps in surprise and plants her hand in his face, pushing him away. Ashes laughs.

"Ashes, make him stop!" Ivy whines.

"I've been informed this is good for you." And extremely adorable as a bonus, they muse as Ivy gives them her best pleading expression.

"Come eat breakfast you stubborn little-!"

Ivy groans, going limp in acceptance of her fate. Ashes pets her hair as Marius walks past them. Ivy gazes at them with the betrayed eyes of a dog tricked into a bath. Ashes is completely unaffected by this.

Marius sets Ivy down in the chair nearest the food. Ashes perches in the chair next to her, watching in their usual manner. Ivy begins eating silently, gradually waking up as she does.

"That's better.”

“...thank you. For making food.”

"You're welcome!" Marius grins brightly at her.

She gives him a tentative smile in response. “You also ate, right?” Ashes watches the conversation, considering.

"Not yet but I plan to."

Well. That is simply unacceptable. Ashes baps him lightly on the head. "I expect you to take care of yourself, too."

"I will! I left some over for me, I just figured I would feed her first!"

Ashes tilts their head in confusion. "Any reason you can't just eat at the same time?"

"Couldn't carry both trays?" Ashes rolls their eyes. They go over and grab the second tray, setting it in front of him with a huff.

"Sorry. Thank you." He quickly starts eating.

Ivy hums, considering. "Sharing meals is an important aspect of hospitality. This is...good."

"Well. Glad to help." Ashes gives Marius a fond glance. This knight was an excellent investment. He is entertaining and fun to mess with.

"Okay. Um. I'll get the dishes."

Ivy appears somewhat torn about this, but nods. As he works on the dishes she makes tea. "Do you drink tea, Marius?"

"Yes. I mean, not super often, but yes."

"Would you like some?" Ivy pours herself a cup in the (hoard) teacup and offers one to Ashes, then pulls out a normal mug for Marius.

"Sure. Thank you." Ivy gives him tea, then walks away towards the library. Ashes appreciates Ivy not giving the newcomer a piece of their hoard. She knows them so well.

Marius accepts the tea and vibes for a while just sipping before he bucks up and goes to start cleaning. Ashes lets Ivy archive by herself so they can keep watch on Marius. They enjoy doing this in the most unsettling ways possible for the most part. Marius tries not to be uncomfortable as he dusts things off under Ashes' watchful eye. He is unsuccessful in concealing this from them.

Ashes perches on top of cabinets mostly. The kitchen is not big enough for them to fully transform, but they are careful to not let Marius see them climbing. Marius keeps cleaning for a few hours, then starts cooking again.

"It's time to eat again already?" This seems far too soon. They just ate.

"Yep. Wild, right?"

"How do humans get anything done?"

"We don't, our lives are generally short and difficult unless we get powerful enough to pay people to feed us." Marius shrugs.

Ashes frowns. That simply won’t do. "Don't give me that. I know the locals. Did you see my shelves? People made those! People who make stuff like that all the time. You have such short messy lives and you have to spend so much of them eating and sleeping but you somehow do so much!"

Marius laughs softly. "I suppose that's true."

Ashes grins. "Of course it's true."

"Funny how those considered the most insignificant generally make the longer-lasting, cleverer items, huh?"

"Depends on how you view significance," Ashes points out. "My carpenter is far more significant than the asshole who sent you here, as far as I'm concerned."

"That's why I said 'considered.' I wholeheartedly agree."

Ashes smiles. They like him.

"How much hope do you think I have of tearing Ivy away from what she's doing?

"Not much. I'll bring her to you."

They find Ivy sorting through a mess of loose sheet music. She does not want to stop. Ashes picks her up and carries her back to the kitchen. Ivy squirms futilely at first, then resigns herself to being carried off. Ashes is pleased when she gives in to the inevitable, shifting back to human form when they have to pass through the kitchen doors.

Ivy waves at Marius when she is carried into the kitchen. Marius waves back and pushes the sandwich he made her across the table with a smile. Ivy eats, thanks Marius, and then heads out again. Ashes watches her go mournfully. They can’t go with her, not without leaving this new person unwatched, but still...

Ivy apparently notices. Instead of resuming the sheet music sorting, she quickly returns to the kitchen with a book. Ashes grins and sits next to her, leaning over her shoulder a bit to see what she's reading. It's an old collection of folk songs. Ashes recognizes some of them and hums the melodies. Ivy leans back against them, smiling softly.

When she finishes the book, Ivy heads back out to resume her work. Having cuddled with their archivist, Ashes is now content to remain and keep an eye on Marius. Marius simply continues to clean, until the kitchen is spotless. Ashes is suitably impressed. Marius, for his part, looks exhausted. "God... this is going to be a long year."

"I'd tell you it will get easier, but that would be a lie," Ashes tells him nonchalantly.

"I appreciate the honesty.”

"If you're nice I might let you touch the hoard." That’s a good incentive, right? Who wouldn’t want that?

"I will continue to be nice then. Thank you." He seems a bit flustered and confused. Ashes grins at him with too many teeth. Marius appears acceptably terrified, as well as even more flustered. Ashes is deeply amused. Yes, this was an excellent decision indeed.

-

Marius is trying to not project his nervousness too loudly. Judging by Ashes’s amused and curious expression, it’s really not working. Ivy doesn’t seem to have picked up on anything, but she’s not conscious enough yet for that to mean anything. Marius pushes his empty breakfast plate aside and steels himself. This will be fine. He’s made it through the full first day without anything going wrong, and Ashes seems to like him, and they won’t fry him for making a reasonable request. Almost definitely. Probably.

"Can I...go to the post office in town? I need to send a letter..."

“If it’s not something that will bring an army down on us, I don’t see why not,” Ivy answers, after a brief pause. That’s probably a good sign, right? Ashes generally listens to her.

"Don't worry, it's not. I just...need to say a goodbye." A goodbye, and something he should have said far earlier.

"That's fine," Ashes agrees. "I do want to read it before you send it though."

Ah, shit. Forget worries about being burned alive - this is the worst case scenario. Fortunately, Ivy comes to his rescue.

“That won’t be necessary. It’s - there’s nothing to stop him from writing in code, if he really wanted to, so there’s no need to invade his privacy like that,” Ivy explains, handing Marius writing implements. Marius isn’t sure why she had those in her pajama pockets, but he’s not going to look a gift excuse to not make eye contact with Ashes in the mouth.

Ashes hesitates for a moment, clearly considering Ivy’s argument. “Fine. But I won't be so lenient on anyone else if you're calling for backup,” Ashes warns.

Marius nods, underlining something. “I’m not. I promise.” He folds the letter up and tucks it into a pocket. 

“Good.”

“Are we going into town, then?” Ivy asks Ashes. She seems oddly excited about the idea, but Marius supposes that someone living with a dragon wouldn’t necessarily be good at picking up on hostile social cues. He’s not exactly thrilled to be going back there, but he does really need to send that letter.

  
“Guess so. It’s a market day - should be fun.” Ashes smirks back at her. Marius doesn’t know how they manage to fit so many teeth in a human-shaped mouth, but it’s impressive! “We’ll head down after breakfast.”

The three of them head down to the village. Asphodel Meadows is pretty enough, Marius supposes, but there’s nothing that ruins a nice landscape like the most inhospitable locals he’s met in all his travels. There’s nothing outwardly unusual about the village. Nice sturdy wooden or stone houses, rustic fences, and plenty of farm animals as well as workshops for a variety of trades. Ashes was right about the market, apparently. Lots of tables and booths are set up in the town square with wares. There are children playing and it is all very idyllic. Marius sighs and waits for the other shoe to drop.

The other shoe does not drop. The locals definitely notice them, but there’s no sign of the cold silence and flat glares he received when he last passed through. The worst he gets is some confused glances. Ashes and Ivy, meanwhile, are greeted by name with obvious pleasure by just about...well, everyone.

It belatedly occurs to Marius that riding into town proclaiming his intent to kill an apparently-beloved dragon at the urging of an extremely unpopular interloper may have been a Bad Look.

Ashes leads them straight to the carpenter’s table. Marius is neither dumb nor rude enough to eavesdrop on a dragon’s personal conversation, so he focuses on the rest of the bustling square. He can hear a faint flute, playing a familiar tune. Marius smiles at the bittersweet memory of his hand on their waist, their hand in his, legs occasionally brushing as they step together...

The flute player switches to a different folk song, this one unfamiliar. Marius zones back in to see Ashes talking to an older woman. The child next to her - a granddaughter, maybe? - is gesturing at the book in her hands, clearly deep in serious conversation with Ivy. Must be important folks, if they can afford books and tutors. Ashes turns and sees him looking, then waves him over. Marius makes his way across the square to them.

“Marius, this is Nerissa. She’s the midwife and medical professional around here. And the brat stealing my archivist is her apprentice, Ismini.” Marius blinks and glances over at Ivy, who is being led over to a gaggle of children. He eyes Ashes. There’s nothing threatening in their tone or posture. They seem to be...joking. About theft. This strikes him as really fucking weird, given how possessive they were before. And - wait, a midwife? What the fuck is going on in this village that a midwife’s apprentice can not only read but afford a book? He glances around. The place doesn’t look _that_ absurdly rich. Marius abruptly realizes that he’s being incredibly rude and turns to Nerissa with an embarrassed smile. She’s studying him with sharp, intelligent eyes.

“Ah, hello? I’m Sir Marius, I work for Ashes now? Apparently? It’s nice to meet you.”

“An interesting turn of events, given that two days ago you were talking about dragon-slaying.” Marius winces at her dry tone, but Nerissa isn’t done yet. “Is this employment of your own free will, without magical influence?”

Wait. What? Marius flounders, but Ashes saves him from needing to answer. “Nerissa. You know I can’t and won’t pull that sort of shit.” Well, that’s a relief! At least now he doesn’t have to wonder whether he’s been unknowingly charmed into selling his soul or something.

Nerissa glances at them. “I do know that. But hearing it from him will help settle some of the more...troublesome gossips.”

“I - yes? I mean. Technically there was the threat of imminent death involved, but no magical coercion? And if you think about it, that’s just how all jobs are, really, so. No brainwashing here.”

Nerissa examines his face, then nods. She smiles at Marius, face softening. “Glad to hear your quest was resolved peacefully. I’ll keep folks from doing anything stupid.”

Ashes seems very distracted by watching Ivy, but nods. “Appreciated. Absurd rumors are fun, but I’d rather no one escalate.”

Marius raises an eyebrow. “What sorts of rumors count as absurd to a dragon?”

Ashes laughs. “You’d be surprised what people come up with.”

“I like the one that Ivy is a fae princess you stole as a wife,” Nerissa volunteers with a smirk. 

Marius stares blankly at her, then glances at Ivy, holding court surrounded by children. “...she’s literally wearing iron jewelry right now?”

“Yes. And yet that hasn’t stopped them.” Nerissa shrugs. Marius’s follow-up questions are cut off by Ashes’s snickering at his gobsmacked expression, and then by their voice.

“Oh, right. Let’s deal with your letter.” They say their goodbyes to Nerissa and Ashes leads Marius to the post office. Marius looks at the letter in his hands for a long moment. He really wishes he’d been able to - he sighs and hands it over. Ashes pays the postmaster very well to ensure it reaches its destination with all due speed.

Their generosity takes Marius by surprise. Maybe it shouldn’t, after watching their interactions with the villagers, but still. Marius wasn’t expecting to be shown the same kindness as people Ashes has known for years. “Thank you.”

Ashes shrugs carelessly. "There are advantages to being employed by a dragon."

“I guess so.”

“Anything else you need, while we’re here?”

Marius considers, but nothing comes to mind. "No. I think that's it."

“Let’s retrieve Ivy from her followers and head back, then.” Ashes turns to do so, and Marius follows them home.

-

_Dearest Lyf,_

_I hope you're back from your quest by now, and I hope it went well. Things here have taken an unfortunate turn and it turns out that I will be delayed in my return. I just wanted to tell you a few important things: First, please don't come after me. It's too dangerous, especially alone. Second, I'm alive and well, and I will be back within the year. Hold tight to that. I will return. And third, though I wish I could tell you this in person, it seems it was not meant to be and I can't wait any longer to let you know: I'm in love with you._ _If you have the time, please, reply at the Asphodel Meadows post office. I promise I'll be back. Please stay safe until then._

_All my love,_

_Marius_


	3. Chapter 3

Marius cracks his knuckles and leans back against the counter. "So! Now that the kitchen is actually fully stocked, is there another room you’d prefer I start working on?”

Ashes shrugs. "Whichever rooms you or Ivy will use. The hoard doesn't need to be cleaned. I just set it on fire every once in a while."

"Oh - wait, you what?”

"The hoard isn't flammable," Ashes clarifies.

"Oh. That makes sense." Marius nods. He supposes that makes sense, if a fire-breathing dragon has a library full of paper. "Alright. You mind if I pop down and ask Ivy if it's cool with her for me to clean her room?"

"I’ll come with you," Ashes decides. Marius nods. He was expecting this. He hasn’t been here a full week, but he’s never seen Ashes turn down a chance to check on Ivy. Marius follows them as they confidently stroll through the maze of the hoard to Ivy.

Ivy is utterly focused on and surrounded by a mess of what looks like loose sheet music. Marius clears his throat to get her attention. "Hello, Ivy. I just wanted to check if it was okay for me to tidy your room a bit? Just, get rid of some of the dust and dirt and stuff?"

Ivy glances up at him from her spot on the floor. “Yes, that’s perfectly fine.”

"Looks good, Ivy." Ivy smiles at the praise. Ashes kisses her on the cheek before they leave. Marius does  _ not  _ want to imagine what this place must have looked like before Ivy started organizing if this disaster zone "looks good,” so he follows Ashes to Ivy's room rather than contemplate it.

Ashes watches Marius clean for a while, looking unusually contemplative. Eventually, they speak. "How does one express affection between humans?"

Marius pauses. "Depends on what type of affection you mean. And what love language you and the person you're trying to show affection for have. That's important for whatever type. So there's Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. If you're...asking about Ivy, she seems like probably a quality time type of girl? I don't know her too well yet obviously but...That's...my advice."

Ashes frowns. "That's very complicated. I already spend a lot of time with her. But that doesn't seem to have gotten the message across."

"Are you meaning this in a...romantic sense?" Marius is very much unqualified to be giving relationship advice to anyone, let alone a dragon. But that’s no reason for him to not try his best.

"...yes?"

"Ah okay, just making sure! So like. Sometimes the easiest way to deal with that is just. Making it explicitly clear that that's what you're interested in. Physical touch also tends to make that clearer? In my experience. But it's important to communicate things if that's what you want," Marius says, like a fucking hypocrite, given his track record.

Ashes tilts their head to the side, still staring him down. "That's it? That seems surprisingly simple for humans."

" I mean the complicating factor is like. what if the feelings aren't reciprocated? What if you're overestimating the other person's feelings for you? What if you've been fucking them for like almost two years and you still haven't told them you love them and then you get hired by a dragon for a year and you don't know when you're going to see them again so you send them a letter to tell them how you feel when you really wish you had said it in person so you could get an immediate response instead of fretting that they're just not going to respond to you because they don't feel the same and-" Marius claps a hand over his mouth as he realizes he is just. Blurting out his whole story there! Which is not only unhelpful, but also embarrassing. "Sorry. Um."

"It sounds like you've got some issues to work out," Ashes remarks with amusement.

"Um...yeah. Yes I do." Marius ducks his head in embarrassment.

"Want to talk about it? I mean, more than you already have.”

"There's not much more to the story, I'm afraid."

"Who is this mysterious person?"

"Their name is Lyf. I...they're a knight of Yggdrasil."

"Look, I'm not good at humans, but if you've been fucking for two years you should at least know how they feel?"

One would think so. And yet. "I mean, sometimes people just fuck for fun. Stress relief. They are. Constantly under stress."

"Do they fuck other people for stress relief?"

"I mean they do fuck other people in an attempt to relieve stress. Doesn't. Really work."

"And you don't think that means something?"

"I don't know."

Ashes huffs. "Humans are weird. I thought you must have some way to communicate affection that I just wasn't getting, but no. You're just all idiots."

Marius sighs. "Yeah. Fair enough."

"I believe I may need to have a conversation with Ivy. And I believe you need to have a conversation with your knight once your time here is up." They raise an eyebrow.

Marius knows an order when he hears one. "Yes, I believe I do. Though I suppose I won't need to, if I don't hear back from them in a letter…” He really doesn’t want to think about that.

"If they don't at least write you back, they probably don't deserve you."

Marius laughs softly. He keeps his disagreement to himself and gets back to work.

-

"I should probably start dinner."

Ashes raises their head to look at Marius, disturbed from their nap. “Already?”

“Yup.”

“Wild.”

“I know. We're needy little creatures.” 

They huff, following him back to the kitchen. "Dragons are once again proven the superior species."

"Yep." Marius pops the p at the end.

"Want me to grab Ivy for you again or do you want to try this time?"

"I doubt she would listen to me."

"I'll get her then." Ashes heads out into the wilds of their hoard to nab an Ivy. 

Ivy is within ten feet of where they left her, still focused on the same task. Ashes walks up behind her. "I have been informed it is meal time for you again, my dear."

Ivy pauses, blinking up at them. "Already? That can't be right."

"According to your caretaker it is." Ashes shrugs.

"I'm sure he can wait. I'm almost done here."

"How close is almost?" Ashes asks. They have been tricked by this before.

"Ah - ten minutes?"

"That is acceptable," Ashes decides.

"Thanks." Ivy resumes working.

Ashes gently nudges her when the ten minutes has passed. "Time's up."

Ivy takes a moment to check. "...so it is." She sets aside her papers and stands.

Ashes reaches for her hand. She doesn’t hesitate to take it. "Ivy, do you know anything about draconic mating rituals?"

"You mean, how dragons choose their mates?"

"Yes. And how they communicate that choice."

Ivy follows them towards the kitchen. "Not much. There aren't exactly many writings on it. I assume it's similar to bowerbirds, in that displaying the hoard is vital?"

"It's less about displaying the hoard, and more about offering gifts. Ultimately, a mated pair will combine their hoard into one. So you begin this process by offering a piece from your hoard to add to theirs."

Ivy nods. "That makes sense."

She doesn’t seem to get it yet. They’ll need to be more obvious. "I have confirmed with Marius that humans have no such tradition, which means you didn't walk in here to proposition me intentionally. However, knowing this, if there's anything you would like from my hoard, it's yours."

"...oh. I..." Ashes glances at her. Hopefully the blush is a good sign? They should have asked Marius about that. "I am honored by the offer, but I don't - you have. Already given me everything. And, while I...may not have grasped the full significance of my offer at the time. It still holds true."

Ashes is bad at words when it comes to this sort of thing, so they just kiss her. Ivy reciprocates eagerly. Ashes pulls her in closer, grasping to hold every inch of her. She feels so delicate, skin cool under their hands...

Ashes pulls away before they get too distracted. "I believe you require food?"

Ivy looks up at them, slightly dazed. "So I've heard."

"Then let's go get it. We can do more kissing later."

"...yes. That we can." Ivy squeezes their hand and follows them to the kitchen.

Ashes grins smugly and leads the way into the kitchen.

"My apologies for the delay."

"No problem. Assumed you were. Having a conversation." He gives Ashes a significant look. Ashes smirks at him and indicates their joined hands. Marius chuckles a little and nods.

Ivy reluctantly lets go of their hand so she can sit to eat. Ashes stands behind her and drapes themself over her shoulders. Marius pushes her plate towards her and starts to dig into his own.

"...so. Would you mind if I asked what you two were discussing that sparked this?" Ivy gestures vaguely at Ashes.

Marius presses his lips together. "Talk about human affection and how it's shown?"

S he tilts her head slightly. "Interesting."

"Yep."

"I had questions," Ashes explains. They decide that if Marius doesn’t want to bring his lover up they won't either. Ivy nods and drops the subject. Marius shoots them a grateful look. Ashes gives them a Look of... superiority. They are feeling superior to him and definitely not protective of him.

T his time, Ivy will insist on helping with the dishes. It’s only polite. Not making Ashes choose between following her and watching Marius is just a side benefit. Ashes adores her. They also do their best to distract Ivy because obviously. Ivy is Hoard and Mate and they need to drape themself over her at all times. Marius seems appreciative of the help, even with them being a complete nuisance.

Even Ivy notices his exhaustion. “If I promise to sleep at a reasonable hour, will you go to bed?”

"If you tell me what a reasonable hour is, I can make sure that actually happens," Ashes adds.

"Ah... no, it's fine. I'm fine to stay up a little longer."

Ivy gives him a judgmental look. “For all your talk about “sleep schedules”, at least I actually rest when I’m tired.”

"You can have the rest of the night off," Ashes says. "And tomorrow. We will be busy. I'm sure you can entertain yourself for a bit."

Marius closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Fine. Don't let her stay up past midnight."

" Got it."

Marius dries off his hands and schleps over to his room to pass the fuck out. 

“So. Midnight.”

"We've got some time before then."

I vy smirks at them. “That we do.”

A shes takes a step closer. "I believe I promised you more kissing."

“You certainly did.”

Ashes backs Ivy up against the counter and kisses her deeply. Ivy wraps her arms around their neck and presses against them. Ashes opens their mouth to her and settles their hands on her waist. Ivy licks into their mouth hungrily, then pulls back as a thought occurs to her. 

“It’s. Probably rude to fuck in the kitchen right after Marius worked so hard to clean it, isn’t it.”

Ashes considers this. "Probably."

“Do you have a preference?”

"We could go back to your room," Ashes suggests. That's kind of her hoard, right? As much as humans have a hoard?

“That works,” Ivy agrees.

Ashes leads the way, grateful that it’s such a short walk. They push the door open, something inside them thrumming in pleasure as they see the pieces of their hoard that they've gifted Ivy over the years. As soon as they're inside, Ivy presses herself against Ashes, kissing them desperately. They barely have the brain cell to shut the door behind them.

It’s surprisingly easy to enforce the assigned bedtime, with Ivy too spent for a coherent argument. Ashes sprawls atop their mate and sleeps.


	4. Chapter 4

Marius wakes up bright and early the morning after next and immediately goes to make breakfast. Ashes shows up in the kitchen about 20 minutes later with a half-asleep Ivy in their arms. Neither of them are wearing clothes.

Marius blinks at them and turns his eyes immediately towards his cooking, face burning. "M-morning."

“Morning.” Ivy yawns, curling closer to Ashes.

"Good morning, Marius." Ashes seems oblivious to his reaction as he slides the plate in front of Ivy, fully focused on cuddling.

“Thank you.” Ivy begins eating, oblivious to the tension.

"No problem." Marius digs into his own food, eyes glued to his plate.

"What are you going to work on today?" Ashes asks Ivy.

“Almost finished with the sheet music, so that first. Afterwards, probably the instruments? Found the resources to figure out what restoration will be necessary two weeks ago.”

"Instruments?" Marius looks up in interest, then remembers they're both nude and looks back down at his food.

“Yes. Do you play any?” Marius catches a bit of movement in his peripheral vision but staunchly refuses to look. “...ah, right, nudity taboos exist. I apologize for making you uncomfortable.”

"Oh, is that a thing? My apologies." Ashes sets Ivy down and leaves the kitchen.

Marius blushes. "It's fine. No big deal. Um. I play the fiddle. Lost mine a while ago though. Haven't had the funds to replace it."

Ashes returns fully dressed and hands Ivy a robe. “Did you specifically choose fiddle, or was it random luck?”

"Mostly random luck." He doesn't elaborate that he definitely stole it.

Ivy gives Ashes a look. 

They meet her gaze, then turn back to Marius. "If you'd like to borrow one of the violins in my collection, that could be arranged." 

Ivy smiles at them. “I can check the violins first, if you’d like.”

"Oh. Thank you, that's kind..." Marius does not know what to do with this generosity and simply flails.

"It's not like you could break them,” Ashes points out.

Ivy finishes eating and goes to put on real clothes, kissing Ashes’s cheek as she leaves.

"Well, it’s good that I can't break it..."

"If you try to steal it though, I'll break you." Ashes grins, showing off their very sharp teeth.

"Of course. I promise I won't."

"Good."

Ivy pokes her head in. “Just come find me when you’re ready.” She heads off into the library. He nods, finishes up his food, and goes to do dishes.

"Thanks for the advice," Ashes tells him.

"Glad I could be of assistance. Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"I will." Ashes waits for him to be done with the dishes. They are visibly fidgety at being separated from Ivy.

Marius sets the dishes in the dish drainer to dry. "Alright. Let's go."

Ashes leads him back into the hoard, finding Ivy easily. She’s straightening the last pile of sheet music when they arrive. Ashes kisses her because it has been a whole five minutes since they saw her and they missed her. Marius gently averts his eyes because he doesn't know if they want an audience. Wow, Ivy works efficiently, this place was a disaster the last time he saw it. Fascinating stuff, here.

Ivy returns the kiss and takes their hand, then starts walking towards the instrument room. She leads the way to a large open cavern, with shelves of every instrument Marius can imagine and then some.

Marius looks around in wonder. "Holy shit."

“Violins are over here.” Marius takes a second to gape at all of the instruments before he follows Ivy.

Ivy shows Marius a shelf of violins. They are all extremely fancy and ornate. Marius is. Intimidated by this. He's never seen a single violin this ornate let alone multiple. "Oh god...."

Ivy reaches out and sets a hand on one of the violins, clearly lost in thought. “...right. I don’t play violin, so I can’t tell whether there are any issues with these, but if there are any problems I should be able to fix them.”

Marius nods but he is. Afraid to even touch one of these. Ashes will definitely kill him if he fucks up.

"Do you have a preference?" Ashes begins recounting the stories of where they got each of the violins. It's variations on the theme of "some dude was an asshole so I set him on fire and stole his stuff".

Marius takes the least ornate violin very very  _ very _ gently. Ivy leaves him to it, wandering around the room and touching the instruments. Ashes watches him carefully, scrutinizing his contact with their Hoard.

Marius gently places the violin beneath his chin and plays a quick scale to get used to playing again. Ashes listens, relaxing as he plays. He keeps doing warmups until he feels like he's got his magic back and then starts a fun rendition of Ye Olde Ballad of Pellinore.

Marius turns towards Ashes when he finishes a few songs. "Any requests? Could put some of that sheet music Ivy organized to use."

Ashes considers. "Do you know Drunken Sailor?"

Marius lights up because hey he does know that one! It’s an old tune, but still popular. He starts it up, doing his usual little shoulder wiggle as he speeds the tempo a little.

Ashes sings along happily, accidentally bumping up the tempo even more. Marius laughs and follows their lead. He hears another instrument join in and glances up to see Ivy with a recorder. Marius grins. He's having a good time.It’s been a while since he last played music. Long enough for him to miss it. He especially missed playing with other people. He finishes the song with a flourish of his bow and a bright smile.

Ashes grins at him. "I'm sure I've got some more songs here that you can play," they say, gesturing at the aisle of sheet music.

I vy seems somewhat zoned out, staring at the recorder in her hands. Marius looks over at her and frowns. "Are you okay, Ivy?"

"She gets like this sometimes," Ashes says with a shrug. "Probably didn't know she could play the recorder."

Ivy blinks and brushes it off. “Yes, they’re right, I’m fine.”

Marius furrows his brow. "You didn't know you could play the recorder?

“I did not.” Ivy sets it aside.

"Oh." Marius. Doesn't know what to make of that. So he says nothing.

Ivy gestures at the violin in his hands. “It’s in good condition, then?”

"Ah, yes." He looks down at it. "It's exquisite..."

"Perfect. It's yours. For the duration of your stay here." Marius attempts to not read meaning into the pause before that last bit. He is mostly successful.

“Sheet music is back in that hallway, arrangements with violin parts will be marked as such - Ashes knows my system.” Ivy starts getting set up to spend a day on instrument maintenance.

"Oh... thank you." Marius blushes a little. He is not used to people in positions of authority over him being kind.

"Here, I'll show you." Ashes heads back to the music, explaining Ivy’s peculiar organization system as they walk. Marius selects a couple pieces that he can work on, making sure to commit to memory where he got them from so he can return them when he's finished. Marius returns to the instrument room to study the music near Ivy so that he feels less weird about Ashes staring at him. It’s probably just them messing with him, but it’s still rather awkward.

-

Ashes is larger. It is not particularly conspicuous, and was absent in their human form, but Ivy’s memory is perfect and she knows them better than herself. It would be rather hard to miss, with them curled around her like this. Long experimentation and practice has developed a system for cuddling that leaves Ivy’s hands free to work. It also makes the slight increase in size impossible to miss. Keeping her tone casual, she asks in Welsh, “Why did you suddenly grow?”

Ashes tenses, startled. " _ Coc y gath _ " they hiss.

Ivy frowns. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

"I...so. Dragons grow bigger when valuable items are added to their hoard..."

“...oh.  _ oh _ . That’s...” Ivy puts aside the bugle she was polishing to hug them. She glances at Marius, across the room. He’s politely not paying attention. Ashes leans into the contact. “...are you going to be okay? If he does. Leave.”

"Of course. It's not going to kill me...It'll hurt though."

Ivy sighs, curling closer against their side. “We don’t know the future. Maybe he’ll stay.”

"I'd like that," Ashes admits.

" ...I think I would too. And I can’t imagine why anyone would leave when you’re here, so. It could work out.”

"He has someone waiting for him out there."

“...ah. Should we. Tell him?”

“...No. I won’t - I don’t want to pressure him into anything.”

“Very fair.” Ivy falls silent. Ashes rests their head on her lap. Ivy scritches behind their ears, relaxing against their body. They stay like that for a while. Marius continues playing his violin, switching to softer, more tender tunes. Ivy hums along on occasion when she recognizes the song. She feels the pattern of Ashes’s breathing smooth out into the familiar rhythm of sleep. They are warm and feel safe, and Ivy finds herself drifting off as well.

Ivy stirs from her nap when she feels Ashes lift their head. “Food again?” they ask, quietly.

She faintly hears Marius’s response from the doorway. "Yep. It's important. "

Ashes bops their snout against Ivy's head. "Food time, love."

Ivy sleepily pats their muzzle. “Alright, fine...” She reluctantly gets to her feet. The day continues.

-

"Ivy?" 

Ashes blinks off the last of their nap as Marius emerges into the hoard proper. It’s growing late, so he’s probably on a quest to force her to go to bed. Ashes hums idly. They can sense Ivy’s contented presence roughly twenty-five feet off the ground. She must have retreated into one of the cave’s many tunnels to read undisturbed. The situation is hilarious, so they settle in to watch Marius until he asks for help. 

I t takes him several minutes to get tired of fruitless searching. "Ivy? Where the hell did she disappear to?"

"Would you like me to tell you?" Ashes offers benevolently.

"If you know, yes, please."

"She's up in the tunnels." They do not elaborate.

"The what? Where are the tunnels?"

" Up there."

Marius tries to follow their pointing, squinting at the area near the ceiling. "How the hell am I supposed to get up there?"

"You could climb. Or you could ask me very nicely."

Marius sighs and rolls up his sleeves. Ashes is impressed despite themself. They have to respect his stubbornness.

He begins to scale the wall to the tunnel. "Ivy, goddammit." Marius hooks an arm onto the ledge of the tunnel and then another, panting softly. "How did you climb up here with a  _ book _ in your hand?"

Ivy startles with a faint scraping of stone as she scoots further back into the tunnel. "You just - go up?"

"They weren't made for humans," Ashes points out from the ground.

"I manage just fine," Ivy adds.

M arius scowls and moves to haul himself the rest of the way up, but slips. His panic spikes through the hoard bond as he falls to the floor with a cry.

Ashes runs to him. They’re large and fast, but not fast enough to catch him. Marius only lays still for a few seconds before he stirs. Ashes is right in his face in full dragon form, trying to assess his injuries. Marius blinks at them, dazed. His arm is clearly broken, but at least it hasn’t broken the skin. 

Ivy slides down the wall, kneeling by his side. "Marius?"

"Fuck." He says eloquently. "That hurt."

"You don't say. How many fingers am I holding up?"

Marius squints at her hand. "Um... six?"

Ivy sighs and looks at Ashes. "Concussion. Definitely. Sit up so I can look at your arm?"

Marius winces as he sits up, hissing slightly at the pain. "Probably some bruised ribs...." he mutters with resignation borne of experience.

" Should I call a doctor?" Ashes asks Ivy. "Or do you have it covered?"

I vy frowns at his injuries, considering. "I think I can handle this, given. Well." She makes a vague hand gesture at Ashes that somehow gets across Hoard.

Marius blinks. "Given what?" Instead of answering, Ivy takes his arm and sets it. Apparently it was a clean break. Marius cries out at the pain, tears springing to his eyes.

Ashes appreciates that answer. They watch her carefully, a bit nervous because while Ivy's gotten into a few scrapes, it's never been anything like this.

" Do we have actual medical supplies somewhere in the house area? Like a sling?" Ivy asks. 

Ashes frowns. There’s definitely nothing of the sort in the hoard proper. As far as the living space..."Maybe? I didn’t exactly stock the place myself. If nothing else there's those atrocious curtains I keep meaning to replace.”

"Well, let's go check." Ivy looks at Marius. "If Ashes tries to carry you are you going to freak out?"

" N-no? I don't think so?"

Ashes shifts back to human form and lifts him easily. They're pretty sure this will be less stressful for him than carrying him as a dragon. It’s also less likely to jar his injuries. They get him to his room and put him down on the bed.

"Fuck... I'm fine, I-I've had worse. I feel better already, actually." He sounds confused in a way that goes beyond the concussion.

I vy hums, considering. "No sleeping with concussions...want one or both of us to help you stay awake until this clears?"

"I think both."

"The whole reason this happened was because it was bedtime..." Marius mumbles.

"Well, I'm not human so I don't need to go to bed anyway, but Ivy is the one who knows about human injuries."

Ivy shrugs. "Some, not enough. There are medical texts, I'll prioritize them."

"I-I really am feeling better...things are...clearer."

"Better safe than sorry." She sits on the bed next to him. Ashes sits next to her, trusting that Ivy has made her point.

Marius leans back, defeated. "Now I know how Lyf felt about me coddling them when  _ they _ had a concussion." He mumbles.

"Who?"

M arius blushes. "They're um. We're...I mean..." he flails for proper phrasing. "They're...mine."

Ivy nods in understanding. Ashes nods as well. They're a bit sad, because they know this means he's going to leave, but they get it.

"Do you want to tell us about them? Or is there something else you'd like to talk about?"

Marius seems embarrassed. "Um. I-I can... answer questions if you feel like asking. I just... don't even know where to start."

"Do they get concussions a lot?"

Marius laughs, though it's a tiny bit humorless. "Yes. They're a knight. And they're accident-prone."

" That seems... unfortunate..."

" Did you two meet doing knight things?"

M arius laughs more mirthfully this time. "You could say that. It was at a tournament. They kicked my ass at sword fighting so I tackled them and ran away."

Ivy blinks at him. "I don't follow?"

" I wasn't... always a knight. Actually I'm kind of running a long con for my life by pretending to be a dead knight's son. They were sent to arrest me for stealing the dead guy's identity initially and then they helped me steal his dead daughter's identity instead. It's. A convoluted story."

"It sounds convoluted," Ashes agrees.

"We have time, if it's a tale you're willing to tell."

Marius relays the ongoing tale of political intrigue and identity theft to them because it's. Complicated. Ashes thinks it's kinda hilarious but they do their best not to convey this. They don’t want him to stop talking. For reasons of making sure he’s still coherent, of course.

"So. Yeah. They sent me here to die. Fun story."

Ivy shrugs. "And yet here you are, not dead, so who really came out on top?"

"I do specialize in setting rich people on fire and stealing their stuff," Ashes points out helpfully.

" If you ever want to fuck up Asgard at some point, feel free as long as I can get a few people out first."

"Ivy, any idea where Asgard is?"

"We do have maps."

" I did ride all the way here, I know the way," Marius reminds them.

" I think I'll have to pay a visit."

I vy ponders this. “Not without some research. I’m sure there are protections in place.”

Ashes gives Ivy a Look. "Obviously."

Ivy gives them a Look of her own. “Just stating my position for the record.”

F uck she’s cute. Ashes kisses her forehead.

" I would definitely appreciate it. Almost everyone there is a bastard." Ashes decides then and there that they Will destroy Asgard.

I vy gives them a sidelong glance, but doesn’t voice any disapproval. She takes their hand. “Who  _ do _ you like there?”

"Lyf. Maybe one or two others like Loki and Sigyn...other than that. Go ham."

Ivy nods solemnly. “Noted.”

Ashes nods as well and tentatively plans this operation for the end of Marius' year when they'll undoubtedly want to burn something.

"I appreciate it. Is. Do my eyes look okay? I...think my head is fine actually..."

Ashes studies him. "They look about the same as they did before."

"Before I fell you mean?"

"Yeah."

" Well, that's a good sign."

“How’s your arm feel?”

Marius frowns and moves his arm a little. "Actually, that feels better too."

Ivy reaches out a hand. “May I?”

"Sure...?" 

I vy gently feels his arm, checking the progress of the healing. Ashes has Some Kind of Feeling about Ivy and Marius interacting like this, but they ignore it to focus on his expression. Other than a faint wince, there’s no sign of pain.

“...it’s healing well.” Ivy holds his arm for a moment longer than necessary, then lets go.

"That's...weird. Really weird. Why is it healing so fast??"

" Magic?" Ashes suggests, a bit too casually. "You've noticed you can't break anything in my hoard, right? I guess some of that must have rubbed off on you." 

Marius's brow furrows. "Huh." Oh fuck they were too blatant.

Fortunately, Ivy cuts in. “Being in a dragon’s employ has some benefits. That’s true for the local villagers, so it’s even more true for you.” Ashes shoots Ivy a grateful glance.

"I...guess that makes sense." He takes a deep breath, testing his ribs, and seems pleased with the result. "Well...that's handy."

I vy nods. “Do you think you’re improved enough to sleep?”

"I think so..."

“Good. We’ll do a more thorough check in the morning, make sure you’re actually all right.” Ivy pats his head and stands to leave.

"Are  _ you _ going to bed?"

"I can stay with you," Ashes offers.

Ivy pauses. “Would you - like to have someone stay? I was assuming not, but-“

"I'm just trying to do my job still. I broke my arm trying to get you to go to bed, so I would like you to go the fuck to bed."

Ashes hesitates, not wanting Ivy to leave, but wanting her to get some sleep. "I could bring some more blankets in here, so we could wake you up if things get worse?”

Ivy hesitates, then sits on the bed again. “Would that be all right, Marius?”

" Sure. That's fine with me."

Ashes grabs a bunch of extra blankets. When they return, Ivy has laid down on the bed next to Marius, with a polite distance between them. Ashes fusses about tucking her in. They suppress the urge to do the same for Marius as he settles back. As Ashes struggles with the instinct to curl up on Their Hoard, Ivy pulls them down to lay on top of her. She knows them so well.

Ashes awakens the next morning when Marius stirs under them. Whoops. They remain still, hoping that he won’t be able to tell they’re awake. It seems Ivy followed their unconscious movements - probably reluctant to lose her heat source, judging by her normal habits. Lizards are very good at being still, so Ashes waits to see how this plays out.

"Morning." Marius ventures quietly.

“Mhm,” Ivy says eloquently, burrowing closer.

" Breakfast?" He pokes her.

"...how's your head?"

"Haven't had any complaints." Ivy pulls away enough to give him a slow, confused blink. Marius bites his lip, flushing. "It's fine. I feel fine."

"Good." She buries her face in his shoulder again.

Marius sighs and pokes her again. "C'mon, food is important."

As hes decides this is as good a time as any to admit to wakefulness. They turn enough that Marius can see their open eyes.

"Morning, Ashes."

"Good morning, Marius," they mumble.

"Food?"

" If you insist." Ivy makes no attempt to move off of him. Ashes sighs dramatically and rolls off of them. Marius sits up and flexes his arm to check to see if it's fully healed. Ashes watches carefully, but sees no signs of lingering injury. They reach out to hold Ivy's hand.

" Do you...want help? With breakfast, that is. I’m not skilled at cooking, but.” Ivy tightens her grip on Ashes’s hand, avoiding Marius’s gaze. They squeeze her hand reassuringly.

Marius blinks at her, then smiles. "Sure, if you don't mind. I’d appreciate a hand.”

A shes follows their Hoard to the kitchen and settles down to watch over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to some technical issues, we had to recreate the series. I apologize for any issues this may have caused, but we're working on pulling everything back together :).


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